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Old 11-08-2015, 10:17 PM  
cypher
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: Wales UK
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Default Re: Chinese hamster questions

Congrats on your new little one Ann

Chinese do tend to be a little bit shy & timid to begin with but the principles of getting them used to you are the same, it may just take a slightly more gentle approach & a bit more patience.
Begin with the tissue trick, some toilet tissue up your sleeve for a few hours then pop that into the cage & repeat for a few days so she can get really familiar with your scent & learn it's non threatening, stand by her cage & talk to her quietly, even if she's hiding away she'll know you're there & get used to having you around.
Once she's settled she should begin to get braver & then you can try introducing your hand into the cage, try to let her come to you at first.
Scatter feeding is also a good way to encourage them to be out & about a bit more & encourages natural behaviour too, I usually begin half & half, some food in a bowl if that's what they're used to & some scattered or hidden around the cage.
They are such gentle little things & so rewarding once they come out of their shells so just give her a little time & don't rush her & I'm sure she'll be fine.

They do love to climb & are a lot more agile than the other species but some bird ladders can still be unsafe if the rungs are far apart & they have any bits on them that little feet can get caught in so do be careful, they are just as happy to dig & burrow so lots of substrate is important, plain old cardboard tubes or small boxes, egg cartons,coconut shells, small terracotta flower pots & simple things like that can make perfect toys for both climbing on & hiding in so don't worry if you can't find things specifically for hams that you think would suit her.
Her bin cage should be fine for now but she could probably do with more space once she's more confident, they don't like lots of open space but are very active so plenty of toys & hideouts along with an 8" wheel all of which need a good bit of room in the cage!
Keep us posted, look forward to hearing more about her
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Last edited by cypher; 11-08-2015 at 11:51 PM.
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